For the first time in decades, in 1984, there wasn’t a Jewish player in the major leagues.
For the first time ever, though, a daily shul-going orthodox Jew was hired in a year-round front office position by a major league team forty years ago in 1984.
My hiring by the Detroit Tigers was picked up by several publications, not really for my religious obligations, but for my background on the national baseball scene. I headed a national baseball monthly for five years, guested on radio and television, and was a familiar face adorned by a baseball cap at All-Star Games and other baseball events.
Detroit had high expectations for its baseball team in 1984, as the Tigers finished in second place the year before and a good spring training with a couple of key player moves which boosted the excitement. The Tigers opened the ’84 season with nine consecutive victories and I had piles of mail to go through as I oversaw group ticket sales along with some public relations duties.
The team won 35 out of its first 40 games and everyone knew the Tigers were headed to the playoffs when the season ended 122 games later. As record crowds were coming to Tiger Stadium, I watched the games from the press box as I had access to kosher potato chips, pretzels, and soda which helped until I got home.
One beautiful Sunday afternoon in June I was shmoozing with one of Detroit’s leading columnists and mentioned to him that my mother was in attendance, marking the first time she saw a game in 50 years. Based on the conversation we had, he opened his first paragraph in the paper the next day with this.
“Lillian Cohen hasn’t been to Tiger Stadium since 1934, the year the Tigers won the pennant and when the old ballpark was known as Navin Field. The big draw for young Jewish girls at the time was first baseman Hank Greenberg who was rapidly coming one of the biggest stars in baseball.”
The ’84 Tigers had several stars, catcher Lance Parrish hit 33 home runs, Right fielder Kirk Gibson hit 27 and stole 29 bases. The team boasted the best double-play combo in baseball in shortstop Alan Trammell, who batted .314 and second baseman Lou Whitaker (289). Pitcher Jack Morris won 19 games and would end the 1980s as the winningest pitcher of the decade.
Pitching coach Roger Craig was one of my favorites and appeared on many baseball cards in previous decades and took part in lots of baseball history in World Series games between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees. Craig pitched the last game in Ebbets Field for Brooklyn in 1957 and five years later pitched the first game in New York Mets history.
My historic rookie front office season often found me guesting on radio and television and my name often popped up in the newspapers. In the press box one night I was sitting next to Mike Downey, then a columnist with the Detroit Free Press. I tried not to talk to him as he was working hard steadily pounding the typewriter keys. What I didn’t know was that he was working on me. Here’s a bit of his column the next morning.
“The Tigers still were tied in the sixth, but loaded the bases. Somebody named Jack Lazorko came in to pitch for Milwaukee. Tigers manager Sparky Anderson sent up Johnny Grubb to pinch hit.
“Good move by Sparky,” said Irwin Cohen. “Grubb’s the best one on the team for drawing walks.” On a full-count pitch. Grubb took a close one and walked, forcing in the go ahead run. Irwin Cohen is not called Mr. Baseball for nothing.”
The Tigers and Kansas City Royals topped their divisions in the America League and the Tigers swept the Royals in the best three out of five. Game 3 was on Friday night which was also Yom Kippur. The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs and would represent the National League in the World Series. Games 3, 4 and 5 were scheduled for Detroit. Only Game 5 was after Shabbos and Succos.
The Tigers won three out of the first four and needed just one more win to be Series champs. Game 5 was the first post season game the orthodox community could attend. I arrived several hours early to say hello to my favorite San Diego players Steve Garvey and Tony Gwynn and shmooze with Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda who was covering the Series for a Los Angeles station.
The lively crowd of 52,000 became even livelier as Kirk Gibson hit a long three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to give the Tigers an eight to four lead which stood when the game ended at 7:52 pm. Bedlam exploded in and around the stadium. I watched the live television interviews from the clubhouse and waited for the crowd around the stadium to disperse and got home around midnight.
The coming days and weeks provided even better post World Series news. I would be getting a World Series ring with my name on it and a check with a nice amount and my name on it. What a rewarding and memorable year it was forty years ago in 1984.
